Is mcgrady really worth that much? I mean, Drew, Mobley and Rogers all seem to be fairly good players. I don't think that he would be worth all that depth.
I know you have to give up quality to get quality(in most cases),but Ratliff makes around 7 mil./yr.and is the guy that I would like to see the Rocks go after.Having him alongside Cato would be huge.Why in the Hell would the Sixers deal him? I don't want Robert back and even though he would help defensively,since the Lakers bulked him up,his shot from outside is not as dependable as it used to be.The Fakers never designed plays to get him wide open 3's and an example of this is the Utah series a few years back.Pimp Slink was on fire and they wouldn't get him the ball out of the post.If Horry had the work ethic,I would feel differently.He has consistently demonstrated a lack of consistency though.When we won titles he was clutch,but he's not the same player now.If they would take Walt,then fine,otherwise forget it. If we could get an impact player for Mack,Rogers,and Walt,hats off to the trade gurus of the Rockets staff....if a deal like this goes down we need a shooter in the mix. Marshall is a player we could use to shore up the 3/4.He hits the boards and provides a lot of weakside help with his shot blocking abilities.I would assume any deal bringing him here would also bring Starks......no objection to this but I think Marshall's salary is pretty big. Jamison does nothing for me.I know he has been improving,but I don't think he's the answer.AJ needs the ball to close to the hoop to be effective.He has no outside shot. Thanks for the news Pop.......HH LETS GET THEO! GO ROCKETS! [This message has been edited by Hardwood Hammer (edited December 06, 1999).] [This message has been edited by Hardwood Hammer (edited December 06, 1999).]
I want Popeye to be the next GM of the Rockets! Just promise to shoot all your trade proposals by this board before hand. Honestly w/ Popeyes insights he always has the most interesting, thought-provoking threads! Good work Popeye!
Aruba: Don't get me wrong, I would much rather acquire Tracy McGrady than Larry Hughes or any other guard. I agree with you that he will be one of the best small forward's in the league. I also don't see any potential on-court problems between him and Francis for the very fact that his play is unselfish. At 6'9 he can handle the ball, and that is a great tool for a forward. I just don't see us having enough to get him, though. You brought up signing Mobes to an extension, and then trading him, but how are we so sure he would want to play there? [I am assuming that he would re-sign with the intention of being traded to Toronto; it would be downright terrible to sign him without telling him he is being dealt.] I don't know if Shandon wants to play the small forward, but from what I have seen, he sure is pretty effective at that spot. On the other hand, he plays better when he is at the off-guard rather than the shooting guard.
Haven: If a deal like this was being discussed, I think Toronto fans should be asking, "Is McGrady really worth that little?" That would be some kind of steal. Mobley, Drew, and Rogers are nice players, but not of McGrady's caliber.
Right now though, Raptors fans are thinking "nothing for McGrady, man we must suck!" since he wants out through FA. Any half-decent combination of players must be somewhat appealing to them (and every source I've seen on the internet is raving about Cuttino's one-on-one ability). I think that Cuttino is the one they'd want (better-than-average defender too), but the question about him leaving through free agency would be their problem. If we got McGrady though, that's the shortest rebuild I've ever seen (as soon as Cato learns how to rebound properly).
Why must we worry about having a proto-typical player at every position? That's not how you win championships. The past evidence of that is overwhelming. It's about having the best player in the league (hopefully Francis), teamwork, defense, and clutch play. We can get by with Walt, Rogers, Thomas, Anderson, or whomever starting at SF just as we got by with Kenny Smith starting at point guard, Vernon Maxwell starting at 2-guard, Mario Elie starting at SF in '95, Robert Horry starting at PF in '95, Chucky Brown starting at PF, or how the Bulls got by with Ron Harper, BJ Armstrong, and John Paxson starting at point guard, or how the Pistons got by with Bill Laimbeer at center and James Edwards at PF, the Lakers with Mychal Thompson at center, etc. etc. etc. We've got good players, put them on the court and let them play. It's silly to worry about not having a "small forward or power forward of the future", IMO. Let's see how far this group can go as is before worrying about changing to fill imaginary needs. NO MORE TRADES.
first of all, fantanstic post popeye, this is what the clutch bbs is all about! my feeling is that this is an extremely exciting time for the rox. with hakeem injured and barkley adapting wonderfully, this team is changing in great ways. i think that if we make any move, it should be for a 3. the boys in the rox upper office should try their hardest to land mcgrady. he is young, great player today, with the potential for greatness in the future. we are weakest at the 3 and we are overloaded at the 2, with cuttino and shandon both wanting to start. since we've dedicated ourselves to shandon (i think rightfully so), we should be looking to ship cuttino out in a trade like this (as much as i hate to say it ) i don't know how possible this is, but the basic message here is: stay put and let the team gel, UNLESS we can acquire mcgrady. PG-francis/drew SG-shandon/(mack?) SF-mcgrady/rogers/bullard/thomas PF-barkley/rogers C-Cato/hamilton ps- we also need to think about the 4 for next year when barkley is gone...
Thecabbage: I'm certain they should be asking the same question. Normally, I would much rather have McGrady than those 3players... but I'm not certain if that would work *RIGHT NOW*. I mean, we wouldn't have a back-up PG, SG, or SF (besides Walt). All we'll have next year will be our 1million exemption, so there doesn't seem to be much hope of recovering depth next year. A combo like that would remind me of our 97 team with Barkley, Hakeem, Drexler, and nothing else. It didn't work then, and I'm not certain it would work now.
Haven: Who says we need depth next year? With Francis, Anderson, McGrady, and Cato we have a solid nucleus to build around. Then, we spend the next 5 years adding role players to the roster, while building chemistry. TheFreak: Would you rather have two standout shooting guards [creating playing problems, as well as the risk of losing one], or one standout guard, a small forward with potential for greatness, and a balanced lineup?
"Would you rather have two standout shooting guards [creating playing problems, as well as the risk of losing one], or one standout guard, a small forward with potential for greatness, and a balanced lineup?" What we have is 3 guards, Francis, Mobley, and Drew, who can all play two positions (1 & 2). We also have another player in Anderson that can play the 2 or the 3. I love that versatility. As for it creating playing problems, do we have that problem right now? I don't see it. As far as risking losing one, I don't think we should just assume that Mobley doesn't want to play for us. I'm sure the Rockets would rather keep him than trade him, so it comes down to what Mobley wants. Unless he's got Shandon's agent, I'd say we're pretty safe as long as we offer him a decent contract. After all, we've got his Bird Rights after 3 years. I guess there's just too many hypotheticals for me here. I'd rather keep Mobley than trade him, bottom line. If the Rockets feel the same, I guess I just like their chances. As far as wanting a small forward w/potential for greatness, I'd rather have a TEAM with potential for greatness, which I think we have now. I really don't care that we don't have a prototype small forward, or an all-star at every position. I do know that any player with that kind of potential probably has an ego to go with it. I'd rather not risk adding that into the mix, when it doesn't seem to exist right now. As far as a 'balanced' lineup, I don't see the need. Every team has strengths and weaknesses. Was Chicago not balanced because they had Luc Longley at center? Were we not balanced because we had to start a rail-thin Robert Horry at power forward in '95? I don't think so. As long as you have more strenghts than the other team, who cares about balance?
Cabbage- Why are you so big on Ratliff? I think he is a good player and all but he is not that good. I wouldnt trade him for Mobley.
nah - i do not take hughes at this point. Shandon Anderson has showed his upside lately, and he showed faith by signing with us for so much less than he could have gotten. With Francis out, he has flourished. With Francis and Hughes behind him, he would get zero touches and countless headaches. In this case, respecting Anderson will benefit the team; if we trade, we gotta go big and defensive. CBrownFanClub
Thecabbage: I don't think we're as far off from contention as you do. Should by some lucky chance Hakeem should get to retire for medical reasons, and free up that cap space, I think we'll return to the nation's elite, provided we can nab an impact player. Also, I feel like the Rockets *need* to be good next year in order to pass an arena referendum. [This message has been edited by haven (edited December 08, 1999).]
man, popeye was pretty close on this thread. yes, he will be missed, ------------------ johnny "red" kerr:i'm glad the bulls did'nt draft steve francis. dan roan: why!!!!! johnny red kerr:because he would forever be compared to michael jordan.
brahma: Are you being sarcastic? No disrespect to Popeye, but he was only right about the fate of the Clippers and Warriors coach, and saying they were going to get fired was not really going out on a limb. ------------------
a little bit of both actually, but he was also right about john starks. ------------------ johnny "red" kerr:i'm glad the bulls did'nt draft steve francis. dan roan: why!!!!! johnny red kerr:because he would forever be compared to michael jordan.
